Snow removal with a 3 pt blade

[bjorn773]

I just recently bought my tractor. One of the reasons I wanted it is for snow removal. I have a FEL, but that doesn't seem real practical for snow removal. My driveway is relatively short. I'm thinking about a 3 pt blade. I see them on CL all the time in 5 to 6 foot range. It seems like that might work well. I could back up to my garage and drag the snow down the drive, angling it off to the side. I have a plow for my truck that I thought about retrofitting to the tractor. Seems like a lot of effort if a 3 pt blade and FEL combo could do the same thing. I don't use the plow on the truck because it won't fit in the garage with the blade mounted and I'm too lazy to put it on, plow and take it off. I'm open to advise and opinions. The tractor is a L2250.

 

[GPintheMitten]

Sure a 3 point rear blade will plow snow. Try it asis but if you have traction problems you can add rear chains.

But egad man, how hard is it to put the truck plow on

 

[Billrog]

I find the 3 point blade very handy for in front of the garage and other door ways plus I plow a few miles of driveway and bush rds. with a 7'.

 

[varmint]

One method would be to back out, with a 3-point blade angled to push the snow off to the side, and so forth. Of course, going forward works as well, but then you are driving over the snow, which might not be a problem. A paved driveway will be much easier to clear than gravel. You can use the bucket to move piles of snow. I did it that way for years, but on a much larger scale.

 

[bjorn773]

Sure a 3 point rear blade will plow snow. Try it asis but if you have traction problems you can add rear chains.

But egad man, how hard is it to put the truck plow on

It's not hard, but it lives in front of my wife's car in the garage. Pull hers out, driving over the snow, pull the truck out over the snow, put the plow on, plow for 10 minutes, take the plow off and move all the vehicles back. Just getting on the tractor seems easier.

 

[motownbrowne]

A three point blade is how I do my snow removal. I left the blade on my TC29 this winter and it worked great! Because it has R4s, the traction isn't amazing. Once we got more than 4-5" on the ground, it wanted to push the tractor sideways. We had one big snow storm this winter where we got about 10". Rather than wait until the end I just hopped on the TC twice during the storm and once afterwards. During the snow I only spent about 20 minutes each time to do our drive and our neighbors (I was flying around pretty quick) and about an hour doing the final cleanup, which included pushing back some banks.

It's no problem moving the snow after it's driven on, as in driving forwards with the blade.

A cheap light duty blade will work well for snow.

 

[chim]

A rear blade works pretty well. Our driveway is about 100 yards long and I plow for some nearby neighbors. It's all I had for 10 years on my Ford 1210 and I got by. Next 10 years I had a B7500 with a rear blade and FEL. Much better for deeper stuff. A year after getting the L3200 I found a 64" Pronovost that needed some cosmetic help. Since building the cab and getting the blower it can't snow too much for me.

 

[The Deerslayer]

I use the rear blade for snow that is 6 inches or less, blower for anything more generally. If you have a gravel driveway, turn the the blade around as it will not dig as much. I used a blade and FEL for many years with great success on a fairly long driveway. Once we got a few blizzards with 20 inch snowfalls, I made the decision to buy a 3 pt blower...and a good decision it was!

 

[s219]

Works great for me.

 

[Wannabe Tractor Man]

I've plowed with a 3 pt plow for 5 years now and it's great. I live in New England and we get a lot of snow. Here's what I learned over the years. Make sure your plow is at least a foot wider than the tractor. This way, when the plow is angled, you still can plow the width of the tractor. Make sure the plow has adjustable skid shoes or you will beat your asphalt to death. If the ground is not fully frozen and you need to plow, adjust the skid shoes so the plow is not touching or you will dig everything up. Otherwise, be prepared to drive in reverse a lot, mount a work light pointing to the back of the tractor and you'll be all set.